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Daredevils play Kings in must-win tie
Malinga retires from Tests
Positive Viru keeps us ticking: Finch
Bhajji, Rohit shine in MI win
3 Indian boxers in semis of Serbia Invitational
India blank New Zealand 2-0
EB beat Viva Kerala
JCT to play Indian Arrows
Kanwal Club move up
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Demolition Man at work
Chasing a challenging target of 172, Gayle took the likes of L Balaji and Shakib-al-Hasan to the cleaners, hitting seven sixes and 10 boundaries, as the former Knight Rider player, playing in his first match of the tournament, won the match singlehandedly with 11 balls to spare. Gayle, who went unsold in the January auction after the Shah Rukh Khan-co-owned side decided against retaining the player, made a bold statement in front of what was his 'home' crowd till the last season. KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir used all his resources, but to no avail, as Gayle along with Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 123 runs in just 12.1 overs to set a solid platform. The former West Indies skipper, drafted into the Bangalore team as replacement for injured Aussie pacer Dirk Nannes, was cautious to start with. But once he got his eye in, there was no looking back. Gayle made his intention clear in the fifth over when he hit rookie left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat for back-to-back four and a six. Challengers raced to 57 for no loss in the first powerplay but the run-rate zoomed further as Gayle started to explode. The explosive West Indian got to his half-century in style, hitting Yusuf Pathan for a huge six, which covered a distance of 104 metres. After reaching his fifty in 32 balls and with five fours and four sixes, Gayle went on to better his previous best IPL score of 88, which he had scored while playing for KKR. Such was his power hitting that even the gigantic Eden Gardens proved to be to small. Dilshan, at the other end, played sensibly, giving the bulk of the strike to Gayle before getting out for 38. His innings came from 31 balls and had six fours. But by the time KKR got their first and only breakthrough, the contest was as good as over. Virat Kohli played the perfect foil to Gayle, scoring a sensible 23-ball 30 with the help of three boundaries and a six. Earlier, Yusuf Pathan's late burst and useful contributions from Jacques Kallis and Gambhir helped Kolkata post a challenging score of 171 for five. Yusuf consolidated with a smashing 46 from only 24 balls that had three huge sixes and three boundaries after Kallis (40, 42 balls, 3x4) and Gautam Gambhir (48, 38 balls, 6x4) set the platform. Courtesy some wayward bowling from India speedster Zaheer Khan who conceded 53 from his four overs, KKR got off to a breezy start. Put into bat under gloomy conditions, Kallis and Brad Haddin zoomed to 33 for no loss from the first two overs with an error-prone Zaheer giving away 19 from his first. But slow bowlers put brakes on the Knight Riders run-rate as left-arm spinner Syed Mohammad (1/20) impressed on his IPL debut. He scalped the dangerous looking Haddin to give the first breakthrough. Brought in place of Brett Lee, Haddin looked to attack as he raced to 18 from 11 balls including one six and two boundaries but his innings was cut short by Syed. Kallis however batted intelligently as he steadied the innings while Gambhir also showed positive intent. Looking to put brakes on Gambhir's innings, Vettori brought in Zaheer for his second spell but the KKR skipper counter-attacked his India teammate hitting him for two boundaries as they took 14 runs from the 10th over of the innings. On 39, Kallis got a breather after AB de Villers missed a stumping chance but the KKR all-rounder fell to a brilliant catch by Gayle in the very next over. The duo put on 58 runs from 51 balls for the second wicket to set a launchpad for the Knights who were in command with scoreboard reading 102 for two after 13.2 overs. It was left for Pathan to entertain the crowd with some lusty hitting. Two short of a half-century, Gambhir was dismissed by the rookie Sreenath Aravind but Pathan continued with his blitzkrieg to take the Knight Riders score past 150 after 18 overs. Pathan was brilliantly caught by Kohli at the long off boundary as KKR could manage only 7 runs from the last over.
— PTI Scoreboard Kolkata Knight Riders: Kallis c Gayle b Vettori 40 Haddin c Kohli b Mohammad 18 Gambhir c Dilshan b Aravind 48 Yusuf c Kohli b Aravind 46 Morgan run out 6 Tiwary not out 0 Extras (w-12, nb-1) 13
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 171
Bowling: Zaheer 4-0-53-0, Aravind 3-0-37-2, Syed Mohammad 4-0-20-1, Dilshan 2-0-15-0, Kohli 1-0-9-0, Vettori 4-0-28-1, Gayle 2-0-9-0. Royal Challengers: Dilshan b Balaji 38 Gayle not out 102 Kohli not out 30 Extras (w-5) 5 Total (1 wkt, 18.1 overs) 175 Bowling: Yusuf 3-0-25-0, Balaji 4-0-43-1, Unadkat 3-0-24-0, Shakib 2.1-0-29-0, Bhatia 3-0-28-0, Tiwary 1-0-14-0, Abdulla 2-0-12-0. |
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Daredevils play Kings in must-win tie
New Delhi, April 22 Daredevils are plumbing the depths after losing three of the four matches they have played, and the most galling memory for them is that they lost both their home matches, against Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers. Their lone victory had come against Pune Warriors in Navi Mumbai while Rajasthan Royals pounded them in Jaipur. Kings XI, on the other hand, are riding on a high after winning their last three matches on the trot. Kings XI started on the wrong foot when debutants Pune Warriors, led by former Kings captain Yuvraj Singh, collared them at Navi Mumbai. But Kings, being astutely led by Adam Gilchrist, who was at the helm when Deccan Chargers lifted the IPL trophy in the second edition, remarkably turned the tide in their favour by winning two home matches, and one away, to put themselves in reckoning for a semi-final slot. Kings XI charted out authoritative victories over defending champions Chennai Super Kings and former champions Rajasthan Royals at Mohali, and beat Deccan Chargers on their home ground at Hyderabad. Kings XI recorded their first two wins chasing and the last one, by setting a target. On all the three occasions, they displayed poise, purpose and aggression in their batting, bowling and fielding, to come up trumps. The emergence of rookie Paul Valthaty as a formidable bat and a dependable all-rounder has been the major gain for the Punjab team, though they are otherwise packed with quite a few game changers, like Gilchrist himself, Shaun Marsh, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Ryan Harris et al... Though Delhi Daredevils have a depleted field this time, they still have a formidable batting lineup on paper, led by captain Virender Sehwag and his Australian partner David Warner. They also have Aaron Finch, Venugopal Rao, James Hopes, Naman Ojha, and the costliest of them all -- Irfan Pathan. But barring once, when they successfully chased down the 180-plus score put up by Pune Warriors, the Daredevils batting has not come good. Its time Sehwag scored big, as he has been falling in the infancy of the innings, after promising to set the stands ablaze with his rapier-like strokeplay. Yet, the batsmen have done a better job for Daredevils, as their bowling, headed by paceman Morne Morkel, has lacked teeth. Lack of variety in bowling has been Delhi's bane as Sehwag had been hard put to make effective changes when the regulars got whipped by the rival batsmen. The Daredevils must click as a team in all the departments -- unless the batsmen post a huge total - if they fancy their chances against the formidable Kings XI
tomorrow. |
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Malinga retires from Tests
Accused of choosing the cash-rich IPL ahead of national duties by his own cricket Board, the 27-year-old Malinga said that he would continue to be available for ODIs and Twenty20 games for his country. The surprise announcement from Malinga, regarded as the fastest bowler produced by Sri Lanka till date, is being interpreted as a move to put an end to the selection dispute with his cricket establishment which wanted him to return from the IPL for a rehabilation programme. "Although I am sufficiently fit to play both ODI and T20 cricket, I have a long-standing degenerative condition in my right knee that needs to be carefully managed," Malinga said in a statement. "The condition relates directly to the chronic knee injury I sustained playing for Sri Lanka in Australia back in February 2008, an injury that prevented me from playing ODI cricket for 16 months," he added. Malinga, who pulled out of Sri Lanka's upcoming Test tour of England citing fitness woes, has been leading the wicket's tally for Mumbai Indians in the ongoing IPL. His decision to pull out of the country's Test tour irked Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials, who found it "awkward" that he was continuing to play in IPL though he was not fit for national duty. Malinga clarified that the condition stops him from playing in the Test format only. "The injury was a career-threatening injury and my orthopaedic surgeon was of the opinion that given his experience with other professional athletes in Australia I was very fortunate to play again.," he said in the statement.
— PTI |
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Positive Viru keeps us ticking: Finch
"Sehwag brings in a lot to the table. For someone of his stature who has played international cricket for a long period, his experience is invaluable," said Finch, who was effusive in his praise for his skipper at the pre-match conference, ahead of Delhi Daredevils' match against Kings XI Punjab. "You learn a lot when you discuss batting with him. When he is around, there is a sense of positivity around. He can encourage people when chips are down," the Australian batsman added. For someone who came into this IPL with a reputation of a big-hitter, Finch hasn't been able to set the stage on fire yet and he knows that the pressure has increased after three defeats. "I won't deny that there is pressure. It's never easy to just walk in and start hitting with 50,000 screaming fans in the stadium," Finch said. Delhi now have to win a minimum of seven out of the next 10 matches to make it to the last four stage and coach Greg Shipperd knows although it's tough but not impossible. "The focus will be on winning as many games as possible. We are training hard and trying to stick together as a unit. Hopefully, we will come good," the coach said. — PTI
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Bhajji, Rohit shine in MI win
Mumbai, April 22 For the Super Kings, Badrinath played a valiant yet gritty knock, but in the end he recieved little, and at times no support from the other end. Badrinath scored an unbeaten 48-ball 71. Earlier, Rohit Sharma cracked a blistering 87 to help last year's runners-up Mumbai Indians rally strongly and put up a challenging total of 164 for four. Rohit, who came to the crease at the fall of skipper Sachin Tendulkar in the fourth over, put on half century stands with Ambati Rayudu (27) and Andrew Symonds (31 not out) to help the home team recover from 13 for two at the Wankhede Stadium tonight. He was finally out in the last over holing out to long on fielder Michael Hussey off Doug Bollinger. Thanks in large measure to Rohit, who hit five sixes and eight fours from 48 balls, and his partnerships of 61 with Rayudu and of 87 with Symonds, who hit two sixes and a four in 36 balls, Mumbai's total assumed challenging proportions on a track offering some movement to the pace bowlers.
— PTI Scoreboard
Mumbai Indians: Sathish c Anirudha b Morkel 0 Sachin c Hussey b Bollinger 5 Rayudu st Dhoni b Randiv 27 Rohit c Hussey b Bollinger 87 Symonds not out 31 Pollard not out 0 Extras: (b-1, lb-1, w-12) 14 Total: (4 wkts, 20 overs) 164 Bowling: Morkel 4-1-19-1, Bollinger 4-0-30-2, Joginder 3-0-34-0, Ashwin 4-0-26-0, Randiv 3-0-31-1, Raina 2-0-22-0. Chennai Super Kings Hussey c Pollard b Malinga 41 Vijay c Rohit b Munaf 12 Raina c & b Harbhajan 5 Badrinath not out 71
Dhoni c Rohit b Pollard 3 Anirudha c Sathish b Harbhajan 9 A Morkel b Harbhajan 3 Ashwin c Pollard b Harbhajan 0 Joginder c & b Harbhajan 0 Randiv c Sathish b Malinga 2 Bollinger not out 0 Extras (lb 1, w 8, nb 1) 10 Total (9 wkts; 20 overs) 156 Bowling: Munaf 4-0-40-1, Malinga 4-0-20-2, Ahmed 2-0-19-0, Harbhajan 4-0-18-5, Rohit 1-0-15-0, Pollard 4-0-30-1, Sathish 1-0-13-0. |
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Warne: Have to win all games now
Mohali, April 22 Warne blamed a poor start for the loss and said they needed to improve in all departments of the game. “We let them (Kings XI) off and they made the most of it. You can’t bowl no-balls to guys like (Paul) Valthaty and (Adam) Gilchrist. We could have had them five for two or something like that but instead they were off to a flier. It was a case of lucky and unlucky at the same time. Lucky for them and unlucky for us,” said the legendary leg-spinner. He also did not mince any words over his own dismal showing. “I had an off day and (Shaun) Marsh was just tremendous. He was hitting the ball really well. But on the whole, we need to lift our performance. Be it in batting, bowling or fielding.” He also said that with a string of home matches lined up, Royals should be looking at winning all of them. “We now head back to Jaipur and we should try to make the most of the matches at home. We play Mumbai, Chennai and Kochi, and as this IPL has shown, anybody can beat anybody. But we just have to make sure that we get the runs and take the wickets. We just have to win at home. Probably all the matches.” On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab’s Marsh said he was happy to be back among the runs and contributing to the team’s cause. “It is great that I could do something to help the team win. I was definitely lucky with some balls falling short of fielders and some falling slightly ahead. Just glad we won the game.” He also said that despite hitting three sixes of one Warne over, he had not planned to have a go at the fellow Australian. “Shane is a great guy and as I said I was just lucky today. I was just hitting the ball as cleanly as I could. It all just fell in place.” |
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Bishoo sends Pakistan packing
Gros Islet, April 22 Umar Akmal led the way with 41, Asad Shafiq made 25, and Saeed Ajmal scored 21 not out as the Pakistanis were restricted to 143 for nine in their 20 overs, chasing 151 for victory at the Beausejour Cricket Ground yesterday. "I think the pitch was good for batsmen, and I don't know why we missed this opportunity to win this match," said Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi. "We are not building any partnerships. This is what has been missing for us for a few months. Bishoo bowled really well, and all of their bowlers delivered in the right areas." The visitors' batting was undermined chiefly by leg-spinner Bishoo, whose four wickets for 17 runs from his allotted four overs earned him the man-of-the-match award, and Ravi Rampaul supported with three for 31 from four overs. "The jump from domestic cricket to international cricket is a big difference," said Bishoo. "You have to be far more containing because the batsmen take good balls and turn them into bad balls. The pitch was a good pitch and I felt it would slide onto the bat." Pakistan bowlers' looked short of work as opener Simmons struck seven fours and two sixes in the top score of 65 from 44 deliveries as West Indies built a total of 150 for seven from their 20 overs. Abdur Rehman gave Pakistan an early breakthrough, when he trapped Andre Fletcher lbw for one, but Simmons and Darren Bravo added 99 for the second wicket to put West Indies back on track for a decent total. Rehman made the breakthrough again when he had Bravo caught at long-on for 42, and West Indies wobbled the rest of the way, with no other batsman passing 20. Rehman, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal collected two wickets apiece for Pakistan. Pakistan made a shaky start to their chase and soon slid to 49 for four in the seventh over when Bishoo tightened the screws, having Asad Shafiq caught at short mid-on with his fourth delivery, and next ball, had Misbah-ul-Haq hit wicket for a first-ball duck. Akmal tried to keep the momentum going in the middle of the innings, but Bishoo had Afridi caught at extra cover for 12 to effectively dent Pakistan's hopes. The two sides contest the first one-day international in a series of five, starting on Saturday at the same venue. Brief Scores: West Indies 150 for 7 (Simmons 65, Bravo 42, Rehman 2-22) beat Pakistan 143 for 9 (Umar 41, Bishoo 4-17) by seven runs.
— AFP |
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Jeev fires 66 again, moves to second in China
Chengdu (China), April 22 "The course is playing very well and there are birdies to be had. One has to put the ball in the fairway and play steady to put oneself in a birdie position. Stay on and some will surely fall," said Jeev, who won the Volvo China Open in 2006 but has been winless since 2008. Jeev found 10 of the 14 fairways and had 15 greens in regulation. While Jeev moved up six spots in second round, Shiv Kapur dropped from 26th to 47th at six-under. SSP Chowrasia missed the cut, which came at five-under, with rounds of 70 and 71. In a high-scoring week, Donaldson touched a new high with a birdie spree with 11 birdies and no bogeys in his sensational 11-under 61 to move from tied 58th to the very top in the biggest move of the day. Jeev was tied for second with six others, namely, South African Keith Horne, Dane Jeppe Huldahl, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, Frenchman Gregory Havret, Northern Ireland's Gareth Maybin and Irishman Peter Lawrie at 12-under par. Five others, including Sergio Garcia (66-67) were at 11-under par. Jeev opened with a birdie on the first, but gave that away on the third hole. However, the Indian found a second eagle in two days, when he picked up two shots at the par-5 seventh hole.
— PTI |
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3 Indian boxers in semis of Serbia Invitational
New Delhi, April 22 Samota, also an Asian Games bronze-medallist, beat Mongolian boxer, Davolkhagva Iderbat 25-10. Asian Games silver medal winner Manpreet, on the other hand, got the better of Algeria's Bouloudinats Chou 15-12. The 17-year-old Shiva, a silver-medallist from the Youth World Championships and a bronze-winner from the inaugural Youth Olympics last year, defeated Scottish boxer Joe Ham 5-1 to book a semifinal berth in the event where India has been invited for the first time. However, there was disappointment for India as well with Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Kuldeep Singh (75kg) losing in the opening round. While Manoj lost 1-3 to Munkhardene Uranch of Mongolia, Kuldeep went down 1-3 to local favourite Jovanovic Nikola.
— PTI |
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India blank New Zealand 2-0
New Delhi, April 22 Garvit Batra did not have to sweat much in his 6-3 6-1 victory over Alexander Klintcharov in the first singles but India's number one Shaikh Abdullah had to rally from one set down before his 4-6 6-1 6-2 win over Cameron Norrie. India had beaten Sri Lanka 3-0 in the group stage.
— PTI |
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EB beat Viva Kerala
Kolkata, April 22 Syed Rahim Nabi, Penn Orji and Sushil Singh scored a goal each for the winners. The win takes East Bengal to 44 points from 21 matches, just 2 behind league leaders Salgaocar SC. Viva Kerala on the other hand languish at the 10th position.
— PTI |
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JCT to play Indian Arrows
Chandigarh, April 22 JCT are currently bottom of the table and will have to put in a clinical performance to find their way back up on the points table. JCT’s opponents Indian Arrows, who are based in Delhi are in their maiden season in the I-League.
— TNS |
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Kanwal Club move up
New Delhi, April 22 Scores: Kanwal Club: 175 (Ravi Sanger 46, Asif Rasool 38, Bharat Awasthi 3 for 20, Amit Mishra 3 for 30). FCI: 149 (Ankur Julka 49, Rajinder Bisht 30, Sanjay Verma 3 for 28, Parvez Rasool 2 for 21, Ravi Sanger 2 for 26). |
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